West of England Works South Gloucestershire

West of England Works is led by Weston College and is a collaboration of locally based voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations working across the West of England with a history of working in partnership to support people in communities experiencing high levels of deprivation and who face often complex and multiple barriers to accessing work. The Delivery Partners of West of England Works have common strategic missions which align closely with the objectives of the Big Lottery’s Building Better Opportunities Fund; to actively support people furthest from employment to achieve their full potential and secure sustainable employment.

Southern Brooks Community Partnerships is the lead delivery partner in South Gloucestershire, working in partnership with specialist VCSE providers such as the Carers Support Centre and Creative Youth Network.

The project will be delivered over the next 3 years until 31st December 2019 to increase readiness, ability and confidence of unemployed or economically inactive people to seek or enter employment, education and training.

An Employment and Skills Development Coach from Southern Brooks Community Partnerships will support people to design their own plan and to help them achieve it.

How We Can Help

One-to-One Support

Our employment and skills coaches will create a personalised plan to guide you into employment, education or training.

Work Experience

We can help with work placement and trials to gain valuable experience through our network of employers.

Signposting

We can put you in touch with a range of organisations in South Gloucestershire such as debt management.

Job Preparation

We provide a range of services such as CV writing and interview techniques.

Transport Costs

We can help with the costs of public transport to ensure they can attend interviews.

Skills Development

We can help develop skills such as confidence, self-esteem and personal development.

Volunteering

We offer a range of internal and external volunteer opportunities.

Access to Training

We can help with accessing training, apprenticeships and colleges.

Child Care Costs

We can assist with child care costs and what entitlements are available when returning to work.

How Does It Work?

We can receive referrals through an organisation or you can refer yourself using the buttons below or phone us on 01454 868572.

An Employment and Skills Development Coach will get in touch to arrange an initial meeting at a time that suits you.

If you are eligible then we will work closely with you to create a personalised support plan.

We can offer a range of services and support to help you into employment, education, volunteering and training.

Eligibility Crieria

Before they can participate in the programme then they must meet all the following criteria:

Is currently unemployed or economically inactive

Aged 15 or over

Lives in South Gloucestershire

Legal right to work in the United Kingdom

Face multiple barriers into education, training or employment (at least one from the list below)

Barriers include:

people with parental or carer responsibilities

women

people with health issues, mental health and disabilities

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups (BAME)

people aged over 50 with few or no qualifications and not in employment

low income, single-earner households with children where at least one partner is not working

those out of contact with the labour market

offenders and ex-offenders

homeless people

people with low or no skills

young people aged 16-29 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) or if they are at risk of becoming NEET.

troubled families including those involved in crime, children absent from school and/or experiencing problems relating to emotional and mental health, domestic violence, drugs and alcohol misuse

I am registering for myself

Want to refer by phone?

Contact Philip or Ternaya on 01454 868570

Want to refer by post?

Frequently Asked Questions

There is no cost to participants involved in this project and the support is completely free as it is funded jointly by the European Social Fund and Big Lottery Fund.

How long can a participant stay on the project?

The project is funded until the December 2019, we can work with participants until the project ends. We will work with the participant for as long as need to enter into employment, education or training.

Will taking part affect my benefits?

Unless you start working then your benefits should not be affected but you may need to keep the job centre updated on your involvement with the project.

We can provide a letter to your Work Coach to confirm that you have started on the project.